Teach Me to Walk in the Light: Be Not Afraid (not a song today, I get bored easily...)

Ready for some crazy adventure stories?
Sister Eastwood and I pretty much are adventure magnets(: From frogs on the windshield, crazy old men, bike crashes, allergic reactions, riding in shopping carts, getting pulled over for not having our lights on all the way to last nights emergency room visit I absolutely love having her as my companion(: Today on Facebook she challenged me to share my favorite scripture. Here it is:

I love this short reminder. I first fell in love with this verse and story during the summer of 2013. As I served on seminary council we prayed to choose a theme for the year and this was one of the choices. As I knelt in the forest of American Fork canyon I knew that this needed to be the theme, not just for that school year, but for me, for everything that was to come. In that school year my whole future life plan changed. I decided to serve a mission, to go to BYU and really decided what was important to me. This scripture ran through my mind often. Then I went on to what was to come next and again this scripture seemed to be on my mind often as I headed to the testing center, to tough friend situations or while saying goodbye to those I love. I found it in the forefront of my mind as I walked away from my family, as I taught my first lessons as a missionary, as I talked to strangers and knocked doors. I found in on my mind as I visited Duke, many times. It seemed to scream at me as I got on a plane home, and then on one back. I found it a chant this last week as I biked 15 miles in one day up some hills. This reminder to be not afraid comes with a bigger reminder, of why I do not need to fear, I don't have to fear because of Jesus Christ. He makes it all okay, always.

Yesterday was one of the sweetest days of my life. I got to see Josh get baptized. (That is a story for another post) Sitting in the chapel, I was reminded of the many times I repeated this scripture as I talked to him or Amy. Now they are on their way to being eternal family, because of Jesus Christ and their belief in Him.

I found myself seeing what faith can do yesterday as I watched my incredible companion struggle through a painful contact stuck behind her eye, an unhelpful visit to the urgent care and then heading to the baptism. I was impressed by her attitude and determination all day. Right before the baptism she asked the Elders for a blessing and demonstrated that she had that belief. As soon as the blessing was over, the swelling on her eye and the pain were gone. She had that belief and that belief or faith makes things happen. After the baptism, we headed to the ER where again she amazed me with her faith and lack of fear. She just gritted her teeth and dealt with painful eye digging. She has an incredible testimony of the Savior and I know that that fuels her ability to act in total faith. The contact came out and all is well(: We had a blast in the ER by the way(: I love this picture.

Belief is powerful. It allows us to do hard things, like life. Jesus is the best. Because of Him we don't have to be afraid. We don't have to do it alone. Jesus will always be there, like He reminds Jairus in Mark 5, He is in charge and as we trust in Him, all things will always work out.